May 14, 2016 Red Rock Park, Gallup, New Mexicco

We stayed at the campground and hiked the Church Rock Loop-about 2 1/2 miles. Cloudy and cooler. Great day ot hike.

Church Rock at the end of the valley. John on some stairs on the way up.

Squiggly wash on the way. They had HUGE cairns. They didn’t want anyone to get lost I guess. Flowering bush, desert gems, two kinds of yellow flowers, cliff rose and crypanthia.

Closer to Church Rock. The rock is such pretty colors. Looking back at camp at the mouth of the canyon. We are up walking on slick rock by now.

daisy’s, curly grass, around a tree downtown, claret cup cactus blooms with white flowers around them, more curly grass. There was a sign at the trail head that included this great expert on If you get lost, how to get found. Basically give a friend info, but they say to include photos, type of shoes, etc, then say to give them your cell phone number. . .John standing by one of the HIGE cairns.

Another cairn and cool lines in the rocks.

On the way back in another canyon coming down. John at the bottom of some steep stairs.

More steep steps cut into the rock. They are kind of cut so you stand sideways to the pitch and shuffle down. Me coming down.

Dry waterfall and John standing on the cliff  over the fall. It is pretty far down.

The trail was cut into the slickrock here. The sun came out as we got near the bottom. Pretty view of Church Rock.

How does this tree grow out of solid rock???? After a sumptious dinner we went downtown for the monthly art walk. This is part of historic downtown on route 66. It is a row of Indian  trading posts. Gallup is know for them, there are 120 of them.  The art walk was not what we expected. There was not much art, mostly amateur, a skate board contest, a couple of bands. The brochure showed Indian dancers-we saw one group of teenage Indians doing a group break dance, but no native costumed dancers like we expected.

There was indian fry bread. Since we were in indian country, had to have some. John says not to eat anything bigger than your head, but he ate it anyway. Deep fat fried bread with honey and powdered sugar. Yum.